Looking for a schedule template to create fixed or rotating shifts? Use this Excel employee shift schedule template download to build a staff schedule for your restaurant or store quickly and efficiently.
To help you get started, we include step-by-step instructions inside the template.
The only thing you need is Microsoft Excel or a similar program, like LibreOffice Calc.
What is an Excel employee shift schedule template?
It’s a scheduling template created and edited using Microsoft Excel, a popular spreadsheet program for Windows. This employee scheduling spreadsheet gives you a flexible way to build shifts for your team.
If you’re more comfortable with Google Sheets, you may prefer our Google Sheets employee schedule template. We provide both completely free for download.
Why schedule employees using an Excel template?
Using an Excel employee shift schedule template download is much faster and more organized than trying to build a schedule by hand, which is why they’ve been in use for decades.
Many schedule templates, like this one, run in Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet program. These employee schedule templates in Excel have been used for decades because they are reliable and easy to use.
Generally, an Excel-based schedule requires you to input the data and schedule the time yourself. Then, when you’re done, you print and/or post the finished schedule at your workplace.
What’s included in the template:
- A fill-in-the-blank employee shift schedule template
- A monthly grid to manage shift schedules
- An automatic calculator to track total hours
- Built-in space to manually note employees’ requests or special conditions
- Full instructions to walk you through setup
How to use the Excel employee shift schedule template download
We made this Excel employee shift schedule template download easier to use by providing a monthly fixed-shift structure inside the spreadsheet.
At the bottom of the spreadsheet, the schedule template will automatically track hours for you.
TIP: If you work in restaurants or food service, check out our guide to using restaurant schedule templates.
Benefits of Excel employee schedule templates
Using an Excel employee shift schedule template download allows you to make work schedules with less effort than writing them by hand. You can use and customize pre-built templates like the one we provide here or build your own from scratch.
Templates make it simpler for someone who is not familiar with scheduling (such as a new manager) to be able to make a schedule.
Another benefit of using Excel scheduling templates is that they make it easier to maintain consistency across multiple shifts and locations.
By using the same template each time, you’ll always know how your schedules are laid out and will be able to spot any discrepancies quickly and easily.
Limitations of Excel employee schedule templates
While they have worked for managers in the past, spreadsheet templates do take time to set up, use, and reuse – even ones created using Excel.
If you need to update your shift schedule, you must go back into the Excel program to reformat and change your rows and columns. Even a reschedule schedule template needs some manual effort to make changes to shifts.
The template can’t make the changes or assign shifts for you, nor can they automatically alert employees when you’ve posted or make changes to their upcoming shifts.
What this means is that you will probably still be spending hours each week building schedules and contacting employees even with a free Excel employee scheduling template, though not as much as if you made the schedule by hand.
Other schedule template options
When you’re ready to level up your scheduling process and stop spending so much time making schedules, we recommend trying TimeForge.
Our AutoScheduler and RoboSchedules tools can automatically create or suggest shift schedules for you in seconds.
TimeForge schedules can be accessed from anywhere using a mobile phone or one of our free labor management mobile apps.
And unlike Excel-based templates, our scheduling software will notify employees when a new schedule is posted. This means your team will always know exactly when they work – and you can go home on time instead of staying late to build the next schedule.
Intrigued? Learn more about TimeForge employee scheduling or try out our shift schedule maker for free.
Can the Excel employee shift schedule template handle part-time and full-time employees?
Yes, this Excel employee shift schedule template download can be used to schedule both part-time and full-time employees. You just need to manually enter the appropriate number of hours for each employee based on their employment status.
For more complex scheduling needs like tracking part-time and full-time hours separately, consider using TimeForge’s labor management system.
Is there a feature in the Excel employee shift schedule template to handle employee requests for time off or shift swaps?
The Excel employee shift schedule template does not have a built-in feature to manage time off requests or shift swaps. You would need to manually adjust the schedule to account for these changes.
For a more streamlined way to handle these requests, consider using TimeForge’s labor management system, which includes features for handling time off requests and shift swaps.
Can I share the Excel employee shift schedule directly with my employees?
While you can’t directly share the Excel employee shift schedule from the spreadsheet itself, you can save it as a PDF or print it out and distribute it to your employees.
For a simpler way to share schedules with your team, consider using TimeForge’s labor management system, which allows you to publish schedules online and notify employees via email or mobile app when new schedules are posted.
What is the best shift schedule format for Excel?
The best shift schedule format depends on the needs of your team. This template supports a classic weekly or monthly grid and includes automatic calculations. It is ideal for those looking for a shift schedule format that works with Excel or Google Sheets.
